Richard 'Lee' Winters, 91

Richard "Lee" Winters, 91, of Sheridan, Wyo., passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008, at the Veterans Hospital in Sheridan.

Lee, one of seven children, was born in College Station, Texas, on Oct. 7, 1916, to N.E. and Ethel Winters. He was raised in Argentina as a young man and finished high school and college in Stillwater, Okla.

He married Mary "Libby" Swaim on June 5, 1935. Lee and Libby had three children, and moved to Wyoming in 1940 after graduating from Oklahoma State in agricultural engineering. Lee worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Soil Conservation Service in several Wyoming locations. He joined the Army Air Corps shortly after the war started in 1942.

Lee and family moved to Kalispell in 1946, where he worked on the Hungry Horse Dam. In 1952, Lee began a career with the Foreign Service building dams and irrigation projects in Chile, Haiti, Tunisia and Equador.

In 1971 Lee and Libby retired to Bigfork, where he became very active in civic affairs and the Masons. In 2001 he was elected to the Montana Masonic Hall of Fame in recognition for his outstanding services to the many charities in the Bigfork area. Lee enjoyed dancing with Libby, fishing and hunting.

Lee is survived by his wife, Libby, of 73 years; his sister, Ann Schellack, of Baton Rouge, La.; daughter, Judy Banks, and her husband, Jerry, of Alexandria, Va.; one son, Al Winters, and his wife, Brenda, of Story, Wyo.; his daughter-in-law, Janice Winters, of Midwest City, Okla.; his eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Cremation arrangements were made with Kane Funeral Home in Sheridan. A viewing will be held at Kane Funeral Home from noon to 4 p.m. today, Sept. 4.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate that any donations be made in Lee's name to the Shriner's Children's Hospital, 911 W. Fifth Ave., Spokane, WA 99204.